Tennessee ranked 35th among the nation's 50 states in child well-being in the annual 2017 KIDS COUNT report.
Jason Gonzales

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In this file photo, instructional Technology Coach Tischann Nye brings up the next question on screen as she conducts teacher training at Cockrill Elementary.(Photo: File Photo/Larry McCormack, The Tennessean)Buy Photo

Any cuts federally will have a ripple effect, said Wayne Miller, president of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.

Less money for public schools places a strain on a community to offset the reductions, creating situations where local officials must prioritize services, Miller said.

Anything that isn't essential to a student's academic education could go out the window, such as athletic, band and theater programs, he said.

"It limits the ability of districts to offer what parents are accustomed to with a well-rounded education," Miller said. "A wealthy county can offset those changes. But in Lenoir City or Lake County or in Van Buren, they can’t raise enough money to offset those changes."

Statewide, officials also worry the cuts could blunt progress in childrens' well-being.

Tennessee was recently ranked 35th among the 50 states in how well it ensures the well-being of children, according to the 2017 KIDS COUNT rankings. Last year the state ranked 38th on the report.

“We have very limited resources, but we often have good public policies given our resources," said Linda O’Neal, director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, which partners with KIDS COUNT. "We do a lot with a little, but it is harder to do with a lot less.

“The cuts make it hard for Tennessee to sustain its progress."

Tennessee education department hopes to address the budget

In the letter, McQueen asks DeVos to reconsider cutting funding the state uses to grow and train the teacher workforce. Cash-strapped and rural counties would get hit the hardest by those cuts, as each uses the money to recruit quality teachers.

McQueen said on Monday that cuts to that funding and other education dollars could severely impact the state’s work. The federal cuts would put added pressure on the state to make up the difference, or risk backsliding.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” McQueen said in an interview.

Non-academic cuts also are a concern for McQueen, as well as others statewide.

The budget reductions

In total, $3.9 billion flow through the state from the federal government, according to Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.

The list of services that would be cut in the state under President Donald Trump's proposed budget are numerous. Here is a list of some of those cuts:

Title I
Title I funds target primarily services for schools that have a high number of low-income students. The funds would be held flat in the federal budget and $1 billion would be added and used, instead, for school choice programs.

Title II

The state recieved $38 million from the federal government in 2016-17. That money is usedto help pay for the development of teachers and district leaders, as well as the recruitment and retention of educators.

Title IV

The state was expected to receive $8 million in 2017-18 from the federal government.

The block grants help pay for foreign language or magnet programs such as AP, IB and dual enrollment programs. The money also funds the safety and health of students and the effective use of technology in schools.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The after-school centers serve over 30,000 Tennessee students and are intended to provide enrichment during non-school hours, particularly for those in high-poverty areas. Under the Trump administration’s proposal, the money for the programs would be completely eliminated. Tennessee received over $24 million in 2015-16 to serve 70 of the state’s 146 districts.

About $75,000 went specifically to the state’s Achievement School District, the state-run district tasked with turning around Tennessee’s lowest performing schools.

Individuals with Disabilities Act funding

Money for the act and other special education programs would be held flat or cut, even as the number of students needing services is projected to increase.

Career and Technical Education

The grant to the states would be reduced by about $45 million in Tennessee.

Source: The Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.